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DEC responds to truck crash on Anchor River

A photo provided by Cook Inletkeeper shows a Freightliner truck operated by AK Trucking that overturned on the Nikolaevsk Road near the North Fork of the Anchor River. The crash spilled an estimated 15 gallons of fuel, according to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. (Photo provided, Cook Inletkeeper)

The driver of a truck that rolled over on the Nikolaevsk Road last Monday failed to report the crash and a possible fuel spill to Alaska State Troopers and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. According to DEC, a citizen reported the crash to DEC about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5. Troopers also reported a spill to DEC about the same time. Troopers received no reports of injuries, said Tim Despain, a trooper spokesperson. Alcohol is not believed to be a factor in the crash, Despain wrote in an email.

AK Trucking of Soldotna operated the truck under a contract from Home Depot and the driver and a helper had been delivering appliances. Conley Croom, owner of AK Trucking, said in a phone interview that he heard about the crash from the driver, a man in his 20s, sometime between 1 and 4 p.m. Monday afternoon. Croom apologized for not reporting the crash, but said his employees “walked away from a nasty, terrible accident,” and had more immediate concerns.

“My driver was shaken up. His first thought was not ‘I had better call the troopers and report this.’ His first thought was to call the boss, maybe to ‘call my family and say I was OK,’” Croom said.